Jevon Kearse

Defensive end Jevon Kearse hammed it up while posing in the throwback uniform the Eagles will wear for their Sept. 23 home game, against the Detroit Lions, to celebrate their 75th anniversary this season. The uniform was yellow and blue, the colors of the inaugural Eagles team in 1933 after the Frankford Yellow Jackets went bankrupt. Kearse didn't care that he was used only as a model during yesterday's news conference at the NovaCare Complex detailing the ways the Eagles would commemorate the anniversary.

Jevon Kearse had talked earlier in the week about his hunger for taking down Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Consider him full. Kearse had a hand in two Culpepper sacks, statistically giving him one, and was a leader on the defensive line that kept the quarterback helpless all day in the Eagles' 27-14 victory in an NFC divisional playoff game. After not having sacked Culpepper in the regular-season meeting, Kearse had a goal in mind for yesterday's game. "It feels really good," Kearse said.

The gate to free agency opened yesterday, and the Eagles pounced on the player regarded by many inside the NFL as the best on the market. All that stands between Jevon Kearse and an eight-year, $66 million contract with the Eagles is the thorough physical examination he'll undergo this morning. The Eagles released a statement saying they had agreed to the terms of a deal, but that no team officials would have any comments until after Kearse takes today's physical. If Kearse passes his physical, the Eagles will have themselves one of the league's most feared pass rushers and a wealth of depth at defensive end. It's not a guarantee, however, that Kearse will pass the physical.

On the surface, it appears to be the same story as a year ago. The Eagles opened minicamp Friday with defensive end Derrick Burgess on the comeback trail. It was one of the top stories at this time last year, which is what makes the tale so much different this season. Burgess, sidelined for all but one game in 2002 by a fractured bone in his right foot that required two surgeries, was the Eagles' projected starter at left defensive end last season. As a rookie third-round draft pick in 2001, he had registered six sacks and given the Eagles reason to believe he could replace the double-digit sack total they lost when Hugh Douglas signed with Jacksonville.

This morning, the 2004 Eagles will come into public view for the first time on the practice fields at Lehigh University. The metal bleachers will be crammed, and the standing-room areas figure to be at least six or seven fans deep. Excitement over the start of all Eagles seasons in recent memory has been intense, but this year, it's off the charts. Defensive end Jevon Kearse and wide receiver Terrell Owens have arrived and given both the fans and the players reason to believe that the Eagles' NFC championship barrier will be hurdled and a Super Bowl title finally secured.

The first quarter ended yesterday the same way it began for Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse. He was on the visiting sideline without his helmet on and without having played a single down. Though head coach Andy Reid hinted during the practice week that there could be some changes made after the Eagles' lopsided loss to Dallas, it was still shocking to see Kearse on the bench for the first 15 minutes, especially when you consider that the team is paying him $5.2 million this season.

Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse, who was released by the Eagles in February, said his former team will be sorry it didn't re-sign him. Kearse, who was arrested and charged with DUI near Vanderbilt University on June 22, told ESPN'S Paul Kuharsky that the Eagles and their fans will be surprised at how well he plays this season. "They'll say, 'Why the hell did we let that dude go?' " Kearse said. " 'What were they thinking?' "But everything happens for a reason.

Car theft charges against Florida linebacker Jevon Kearse were dropped yesterday after investigators determined they had the wrong man. Kearse, a top freshman who is expected to be redshirted this year by the third-ranked Gators, blamed his older brother Joseph for using his name and identification after a Jan. 19 arrest in Sarasota, Fla. Joseph Kearse has an extensive police record. Assistant state attorney Adam Gould said the fingerprints taken from Kearse after his arrest did not match those taken from the person arrested in January.

Jason Babin officially is no longer an Eagle. Tennessee acquired the defensive end after the Eagles declined to match the Titans' offer. Under a right-of-first refusal clause the Eagles put into Babin's contract, they had 1 week to match the offer sheet signed Wednesday. Without the clause, Babin would be an unrestricted free agent because of his 6 years of NFL service. The Titans announced that the Eagles notified the NFL yesterday they would not match the offer. Babin, a first-round draft pick in 2004 out of Western Michigan, has played for Houston, Seattle, Kansas City and, last season, the Eagles.

Writer Winner Score Bob Brookover Eagles 41-6 Da Bears, like the Lions, have serious injury problems in the secondary and a quarterback who probably couldn't start for the Dolphins. Can Terrell Owens break his own single-game record of 20 catches he originally set against this team? That will be the only drama. Bob Ford Eagles 17-10 There's no reason for this game to be even remotely close. So it probably will be. Bill Lyon Eagles 38-17 Best road team in the NFL against an injury-shot opponent forced to start an inexperienced quarterback.

BETHLEHEM - This year, Eagles coach Andy Reid said, the first exhibition game "might not be quite as crisp" as usual. Seeing as how the first exhibition game in a normal year tends to mimic the consistency of a wet potato chip, well, consider yourself warned. This is an NFL issue, not an Eagles issue. There seems to be a perception out there that the Eagles are in the midst of a revolution, what with the acquisitions of Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and the rest - and now you can add rehabbing wide receiver Steve Smith to the list.

THE NFL PLAYERS and owners have always needed a deadline. It is now upon them. The federal magistrate assigned to hold their hands, Arthur Boylan, is reportedly set to go on vacation tomorrow. Next Friday, July 15, is viewed by many as a time when there needs to be at least a handshake if teams are going to get to training camp on time. A deadline, then. A week, give or take. At which point, if there is a deal, we all will watch as NFL front offices and coaching staffs separate themselves into two groups.

A new name has emerged in the Eagles' search for a defensive coordinator: Dennis Allen. The team received permission from the New Orleans Saints to talk with their secondary coach, a league source said Wednesday night. Allen's name surfaced after the Eagles lost a candidate for the job when Jim Mora withdrew his name from consideration for the defensive coordinator positions in Philadelphia and Denver. Mora was not a serious candidate for the Eagles, team sources said. Allen, however, comes out of nowhere, partly because of his age and inexperience.

The Eagles are talking to longtime Tennessee Titans assistant Jim Washburn about their defensive-line coaching vacancy, league sources confirmed. The story was first reported by the Tennessean after an interview with Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher. A deal appears imminent, one source told The Inquirer. Titans coaches work under one-year contracts, and with Fisher on shaky ground after another losing season, Washburn may be looking for more stability - and perhaps a bigger paycheck.

Jason Babin officially is no longer an Eagle. Tennessee acquired the defensive end after the Eagles declined to match the Titans' offer. Under a right-of-first refusal clause the Eagles put into Babin's contract, they had 1 week to match the offer sheet signed Wednesday. Without the clause, Babin would be an unrestricted free agent because of his 6 years of NFL service. The Titans announced that the Eagles notified the NFL yesterday they would not match the offer. Babin, a first-round draft pick in 2004 out of Western Michigan, has played for Houston, Seattle, Kansas City and, last season, the Eagles.

Thumbs down To Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse, who bolted the stadium Sunday before his team's loss to the Colts after being told he was going to be deactivated for the game. Kearse, 33, who was released by the Eagles after the 2007 season, had started 20 straight games for the Titans, but has been largely ineffective this season (one sack, nine tackles) and was replaced at left end by rookie William Hayes. Asked why he didn't stay for the game, Kearse told reporters: "First off, I wanted to hang out with my family and friends that I had in town.

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from a group seeking to buy the St. Louis Rams. Limbaugh was to be a limited partner in a bid led by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts, but Checketts said in a statement yesterday that Limbaugh's participation had complicated the effort. The group will move forward without him. Checketts said he will have no further comment on the bid process. Limbaugh did not immediately respond to an e-mail sent late yesterday seeking comment on Checketts' decision.

More than the name has changed. The game that Juqua Parker is playing this season is different, too. Parker, known as Juqua Thomas during his first seven seasons in the NFL, has become an impact player on the Eagles' defense. Going into today's game against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field, Parker has a team-leading 4? sacks and his first career interception two weeks ago against the San Francisco 49ers resulted in a game-sealing touchdown. Parker, 30, is a man of few words, but much passion.

The team was off to another horrendous start. The veteran quarterback who once lost in a close Super Bowl was constantly injured. Cries for the head coach's job were growing louder and louder. No, this is not the Andy Reid story. This doesn't have anything to do with Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. This is the story of the Tennessee Titans and their longtime head coach Jeff Fisher. When the Titans started 2-7 in 2006, they were in the midst of an 11-30 stretch that had the folks in Nashville believing that the Fisher way wasn't going to work anymore.

Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse, who was released by the Eagles in February, said his former team will be sorry it didn't re-sign him. Kearse, who was arrested and charged with DUI near Vanderbilt University on June 22, told ESPN'S Paul Kuharsky that the Eagles and their fans will be surprised at how well he plays this season. "They'll say, 'Why the hell did we let that dude go?' " Kearse said. " 'What were they thinking?' "But everything happens for a reason.